Scene View Navigation
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Unity Manual > Using the Scene View > Scene View Navigation

Scene View Navigation

The Scene View has a set of navigation controls to help you move around quickly and efficiently.

Arrow Movement

You can use the Arrow Keys to move around the scene as though "walking" through it. The up and down arrows move the camera forward and backward in the direction it is facing. The left and right arrows pan the view sideways. Hold down the Shift key with an arrow to move faster.

Focusing

If you select a GameObject in the hierarchy, then move the mouse over the scene view and press the F key, the view will move so as to center on the object. This feature is referred to as frame selection.

Orbit, Move and Zoom

Orbiting, moving and zooming are key operations in Scene View navigation, so Unity provides several alternative ways to perform them for maximum convenience. All of these controls can be used regardless of which transform tool is selected. Holding down Shift will increase the rate of movement and zooming.

Mouse

If you are using a three-button mouse, the following controls can be used to orient the scene view:-

For two-button mice or trackpads, holding down Alt-Control (Alt-Command on the Mac) with the left button will activate the Move operation. On the Mac, holding down Control and Alt while left clicking will activate Zooming. Additionally, the mouse scrollwheel can be used to zoom the view.

When the hand tool is selected (shortcut: Q), the following mouse controls are also available:-

Click-drag to drag the camera around.
Hold Alt and click-drag to orbit the camera around the current pivot point.
Hold Control (Command on Mac) and click-drag to zoom the camera.

Flythrough Mode

The Flythrough mode lets you navigate the Scene View by flying around in first person similar to how you would navigate in many games.

Scene Gizmo

In the upper-right corner of the Scene View is the Scene Gizmo. This displays the Scene View Camera's current orientation, and allows you to quickly modify the viewing angle.

You can click on any of the arms to snap the Scene View Camera to that direction and change it to Isometric Mode. While in Isometric Mode, you can right-click drag to orbit, and Alt-click drag to pan. To exit this mode, click the middle of the Scene Gizmo. You can also Shift-click the middle of the Scene Gizmo any time to toggle Isometric Mode.


Perspective mode.

Isometric mode. Objects do not get smaller with distance here!

Mac Trackpad Gestures

On a Mac with a trackpad, you can drag with two fingers to zoom the view. You can also use three fingers to simulate the effect of the scene gizmo: drag up, left right or down to activate top, right, front or perspective views, respectively.

Page last updated: 2011-11-09